Sunday, October 17, 2010

Acid politics

Anyone looking for a vivid demonstration on how far right the Republican Party has lurched in the last two decades needs to read Michael Kranish's account in today's Globe on how the problem of acid rain was eliminated as a result of bipartisan cooperation.

The centerpiece, of course, was the proposal by President George H.W. Bush to allow companies that had excess emissions to purchase credits from companies that were environmentally friendly.

Today that free market concept is being vilified as "cap and trade" by the GOP warriors who never trusted Bush's credentials. And that vilification is central weapon in the armory of conservatives who still insist on denying global climate change.

Another sobering reminder of what lies ahead if Republicans gain control over one or both houses of Congress, accelerating the backsliding on an of the multiple problems from tax policy to financial regulation that have plagued the nation since Newt Gingrich's Contract On America in 1994.

2 Comments:

"Today that free market concept is being vilified as "cap and trade" by the GOP warriors"

That legislation was called 'cap and trade' BY DEMOCRATS until they saw that there was no public support for the bill. So they changed the name to an 'energy and jobs' bill.

Interesting that you consider 'cap and trade' to be a label worthy of villification, and don't dare defend it yourself. If you had the courage of your convictions, you'd stand up for the cap and trade principle - not consider it a right-wing smear term.

Of course, the truth is that you have no idea what legislative issues are at stake in the matter, do you? You just know what side you're on.